A drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz has pushed the fragile US-Iran ceasefire to the brink, with the United States retaliating militarily hours after President Donald Trump accused Tehran of a “foolish violation” of their agreement.
Just a week after a critical interim ceasefire was brokered, the Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely, owned by Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine, was struck on Thursday by a projectile off the coast of Oman while following a southern route along the Omani coast, according to BBC News. No crew members were injured, and the vessel continued its voyage.
Trump took to Truth Social to escalate tensions, blasting Tehran for a “foolish violation” of the truce. Trump stated that while the US military “knocked down” three incoming drones, a fourth successfully breached defences to strike the vessel. “Damage was done, but the ship was able to proceed on its way,” Trump added.
Hours after Trump’s statement, the US military struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites in response and called Iran’s actions “unwarranted aggression” that “clearly violated the ceasefire”, Al Jazeera reported.
Iran has not claimed responsibility. But the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had warned hours before the attack that vessels not coordinating directly with the Iranian navy would face danger. The IRGC also flatly denied that any communication line with Washington had been established. “The Strait of Hormuz is Iranian territory and has no connection to the United States,” an IRGC spokesperson said, according to Al Jazeera.
The attack immediately halted IMO efforts to evacuate more than 11,000 stranded seafarers from the Gulf. The two sides have 60 days under their memorandum of understanding to reach a lasting agreement. That timeline is now under serious strain.
